The present invention relates to a toy water gun and, in particular, to a toy water gun of the type in which air pressure is built up in a water reservoir by an air pump and forces the water out of the gun through a nozzle when a discharge valve is opened. Air pump-type water guns are very much like garden sprayers; they use essentially the same components and operate in the same way. The main difference is that toy water guns have cases that resemble a gun in appearance. The basic elements of both air pump-type water guns and garden sprayers are a reservoir capable of holding water and air under pressure, an air pump for pumping air into the reservoir, a discharge tube with a normally closed control valve in it to keep the liquid from being released from the reservoir except when the valve is opened, and a nozzle for controlling the pattern of the liquid discharged from the discharge tube. Toy water guns are well known in the art from, for example, the following U.S. Pat. Nos.: 2,589,977 (Stelzer, 1949); 4,214,674 (Jones et al., 1980); 4,239,129 (Esposito, 1980); 4,591,071 (Johnson, 1986); and 4,757,946 (Johnson, 1988). A water gun suitable for use as a toy but intended for warding off savage dogs (and vicious persons) is described and shown in U.S. Pat. No. 599,383 (Bunnell et al., 1898).
Despite the fact that toy water guns are relatively simple devices, it is somewhat challenging to designers to construct them in a way that minimizes their mechanical complexity and cost, from the points of view of both production of components and the assembly of the components. That challenge has been met to some extent by products that are currently marketed. However, the prior art air pump-type water guns have employed separate air pumps and discharge valves and separate tubes to connect them, i.e., one to connect the air pump to the reservoir, another to connect the reservoir to the discharge valve and yet another to connect the discharge valve to the nozzle. Each tube requires fittings on the elements to which it is connected, and the connections have to be capable of holding the air pressure at which the gun operates. Also, the tubes have to be individually joined to the reservoir, pump and valve when the water gun is assembled, an operation that is done by hand. Plastic tubing is normally used, and because it is relatively extensible, the fittings must be designed and assembled in a manner that ensures that they will not develop leaks.